


An Evening Down Under

by CharmedRumbelle



Series: Rumbelle AU/Notting Hill Series [8]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Humor, Love, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2014-04-03
Packaged: 2018-01-18 00:19:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1407991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmedRumbelle/pseuds/CharmedRumbelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shot that is part of my 'Catch a Falling Star' series - would help to read all of the fics in this series to better understand this and is quite spoilery for CAFS itself if you haven't read it. Lots of humor and just fluffy romantic stuff. Not to mention Drunk Belle! Hope you have as much fun reading this as I had writing it - enjoy! Rated M for language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Evening Down Under

_This takes place a little over a year after 'Dog Days of February' in the timeline …_

Olivia Gold was eight and a half years old now, and she was anxious to learn more about her parents' roots and upbringing. Belle and Nick had taken her to Australia several times, but Olivia was quite young and didn't remember much about those trips. They had yet to take her to Glasgow and were planning a trip for the summer.

Belle was asked to attend the Melbourne International Film Festival that March as a guest of honor. The film she had finished the year prior was going to be shown there. It was an American film but it was an indie project and since she was featured in it, being one of the most prominent daughters of Melbourne, the Film Festival welcomed her and was proud to screen her new film. Belle's best friend Philip Prince had spent several months the year prior filming in Australia, and he was attending the festival as well. Belle was very excited; she and Nick and Olivia would be staying with her father for two weeks. She could enjoy the film festival, visit with some of her old friends, and show Olivia the beautiful land that she grew up in, knowing that Olivia would keep these memories of this visit now that she was older.

Nick also found a way to make this trip not only a family vacation, but a way to possibly build up new business connections. Since his marriage to Belle over nine years prior, he would frequently obtain orders from overseas; Australia in particular. Nick had arranged several meetings with craft store proprietors in the Melbourne area and was hoping they would be willing to sell some of his items at their shops. Shipping items in bulk would cut down on his shipping costs, and even with the store fronts taking a cut he would still make a decent profit.

It was their fifth night in town. Olivia was spending the evening watching movies with her grandpa Moe so that Belle and Nick could go out – although not together. Nick offered to teach a weaving class at one of the shops that was going to sell his products that evening. Belle went out to pub that night with several of her childhood friends. Nick agreed to take a cab to the pub after his class and meet her there. He did not, however, expect things to last as long as they did. The students in his class were eager to learn, and had many questions for him. He ended up staying two hours extra. He texted Belle to let her know he would be arriving late to the pub.

When Nick finally did arrive, it was well past ten in the evening. He was completely stunned at what he saw when he entered the pub. There was Belle, _sitting on top of the bar counter_ , belting out the song that was playing over the speakers in a loud and off key manner – while waving a nearly empty glass in her hand. She was drunk out of her mind.

"Nick! Everyone, there's my husband, I told you he'd be here!" Belle shouted, and she clumsily tried to climb off of the counter. Nick made his way to her side just in time as she slid off the counter and into his arms. Nick gripped his cane tightly to prevent both of them from falling. Belle turned to the bartender. "Get my husband a drink, whatever he likes."

"I'm good, thank you." Nick said to the man as he kept a tight grip around Belle with his left arm.

"Oh that's right, you don't drink, do you?" Belle said, her words slurring.

"Neither do you." Nick replied.

"Well, I thought one drink would be okay, how often do I get to be out like this having a good time?" Belle asked. "So I had a drink and then I thought, it won't hurt to have another drink or – three or – how many did I have?" Belle asked as she looked up at Nick.

"I have no bloody clue – far more than you should have, it appears." Nick said.

"I tried to cut her off about an hour ago, mate, but – she kept buying rounds for everyone and threatened to stop if she couldn't have another. I've been watering them down best I can." the bartender said. "By the way – her tab." The man handed a piece of paper to Nick.

"Holy fuck." Nick said, looking at the rather large number at the bottom. He maneuvered Belle onto a barstool and reached into his pocket for his wallet. "Here." Nick said as he handed the man his credit card.

"Are we going home now?" Belle asked, wrapping her arms around Nick's neck and hanging over him. "I just want one more."

"You aren't having one more, love, you've had enough." Nick said as he took out his phone.

"I'm Belle fucking French, if I want a drink, I'll have a drink." Belle insisted. "Bartender, just one more for the road!" she shouted.

"I'm **Mr.** Belle fucking French and I say you're done." Nick said.

"You're not the boss of me." Belle insisted.

"At the moment I believe that yes, I am." Nick said as he found the number he was looking for and called it, then waited. "It's Nick – are you busy at the moment? Alright, good – I have a bit of a situation here and I think I'm going to need some help."

Belle stumbled into the house with Philip and Nick helping her keep her balance. The house was quiet, and Nick breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that Moe and Olivia were both asleep and would stay that way. "Where are we going?" Belle asked as they led her to the stairs.

"We're going upstairs to bed, love." Nick said.

"I don't want to go to bed. I. Want. You." Belle said, her voice getting louder, and she fell toward Nick and kissed him on the lips. Nick gently pushed her away.

"Alright – sweetheart, I want you too but you have to go upstairs, and you have to be quiet because your father and Olivia are asleep and we don't want to wake them, right?" Nick said.

"Right. Shhhhhhh." Belle whispered, putting her index finger up against her lips, and then she giggled a bit. Philip shook his head and sighed.

"Never thought I'd see this day with her." Philip commented.

"You think I fucking did?" Nick asked. "Take her upstairs, please. First door on the left once you get to the top, I'll be right up, I'm going to grab some bottled water, she'll need that in the morning."

"Right. Come on, young lady. Time to go up to bed." Philip said. He scooped Belle up into his arms and headed up the stairs with her. Belle looked at Nick and smiled drunkenly while she waved at him as Philip carried her off.

Nick entered the bedroom carrying two bottles of water. He closed the door and set them down on the nightstand, and moved toward the attached bathroom, where he heard sounds of moaning and heaving coming from Belle. Belle was kneeling in front of the toilet bowl, her face practically buried in it, while Philip knelt next to her and held her hair back.

"I charge extra for this, by the way." Philip joked. "How much did she have?"

"I don't know. Obviously quite a lot." Nick replied.

"What was she drinking?" Philip asked.

"Well, according to the bartender, who was probably the only sober person left in the place, she started out with wine but after a few glasses of that her friends talked her into trying a margarita and – apparently she liked them." Nick told him.

"Tequila hangover. Ouch. That'll be brutal tomorrow." Philip said.

"Yes, she's in for a world of hurt, I'm afraid." Nick said as Belle lifted her head up.

"Finished?" Philip asked. Belle nodded her head, then moved back toward the toilet bowl and vomited one last time. She sat up again, then looked around for a moment.

"Where are my shoes?" Belle mumbled, looking down.

"I took them off of you when we got into the bedroom." Philip said. "Come on – you can't sleep here on the floor by the toilet, let's get up." Philip helped her stand and put his arm around her.

"Where are we going?" Belle asked.

"You are going to bed, and then I'm going back to my hotel." Philip said as he walked with her back toward the bed.

"Where are we?" Belle asked.

"We are in your room at your father's house." Philip told her, and he pulled back the covers when he reached the bed.

"Other side. That's my side." Nick said.

"Does it really fucking matter at this point?" Philip asked. Nick just glared at him. Philip sighed and led Belle to the other side of the bed. He pulled the covers back and set Belle down on the bed. "You got this from here?" Philip asked as Nick moved to his side carrying one of Belle's nightgowns in his hand, which he had taken from the closet while Philip got Belle settled.

"Yeah. Go ahead and take the car back to the hotel, we'll get it tomorrow." Nick said. "Can you see yourself out?"

"Yeah." Philip replied.

"Thank you." Nick said.

"You better fucking hope that no one at the bar got a picture or video of her." Philip said. "I'll call you tomorrow." Philip left the room. Nick began to carefully remove Belle's top and bra, and he took the nightgown and pulled it over her head. Belle looked up at him, her eyes glazed over.

"Am I drunk?" she asked him.

"Oh, you are quite drunk, sweetheart." Nick said. He pushed her hair aside and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "You'll be alright, love. You just need to sleep this off." Nick leaned her back against the pillows and removed her pants, then pulled her nightgown down over her hips. "I'm going to change for bed, I'll be right back." Nick kissed her on the forehead and Belle gave him a weak smile.

Nick got himself ready for bed, and when he was finished he climbed into the bed next to Belle.

She was still lying back against the pillows, her head tilted to the side and her eyes closed. Nick reached over and covered her with the blankets. He turned off the light on his nightstand, then wrapped his arms around Belle and pulled her onto her side. Belle grumbled and started to shove him away. "Sweetheart, you need to sleep on your side tonight, okay? Come on, you want to snuggle up with me? I know you like to do that." Belle sleepily moved toward Nick, resting her head on his chest as he pulled her close.

"Nick?" Belle whispered.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Nick replied.

"I'm sorry." she whispered.

"You're going to be far more sorry in the morning, love. Go to sleep." Nick said. He kissed the top of her head as Belle sighed and dropped off to sleep in his arms instantly.

* * *

The next morning, Nick awoke and looked down at Belle, who was still asleep in his arms, having barely moved at all the entire night. Nick began to gently run his fingers through her hair, and after a few minutes she started to stir. "Belle? Are you alright, love?" Nick asked as quietly as possible.

"Oh god." Belle groaned, rolling further on top of him and burying her face in his chest.

"Yeah, that's about what I figured." Nick said. Belle reached for the blankets and pulled them over her head. Nick's cell phone rang, and Belle cried out in pain.

"Make it stop, please." she begged from under the covers as Nick reached for his phone.

"Good morning, Philip." Nick said cheerfully into the phone, as Belle whined and rolled off of him. She curled herself into a ball at his side, still hiding under the covers.

"How's she doing?" Philip asked.

"She's um – she's doing. That's about all I can say, she just started waking up." Nick said, as Belle continued to whimper.

"She'll be alright for the dinner tonight then?" Philip asked.

"Dinner? Oh fuck, that's tonight, isn't it?" Nick said. "Yeah – she should be awake and coherent by then. I hope."

"Shut. Up." Belle begged, still hiding under the covers.

"I'd better go, she um – I think my talking is grating on her. Talk to you later." Nick said, and he hung up the phone. He picked up one of the bottles of water that he had brought up. "Sweetheart." Nick said, shaking Belle gently. "Come on, sit up, I have something that'll make you feel better." Belle slowly peeked her head out from under the covers. She glanced at the bottle of water.

"Unless you're going to smack me in the head with that until I lose consciousness I don't see how it'll help." Belle said, and she moaned in pain once again.

"You need to rehydrate, trust me, I've been through this many times." Nick said. "Come on – it really will help, I promise." Belle reluctantly sat up, and groaned as she leaned against Nick. He opened the water bottle and handed it to her. "Drink it slowly." Belle took several long drinks of the water.

"How did I get home?" Belle asked.

"I'm not really sure, I think someone just dumped you on the doorstep." Nick teased, and Belle's eyes widened. "I'm teasing, love – I got to the pub after ten, you were more pissed than I've seen some men in my day, and I called Philip and he helped me get you home."

"Oh shit, my papa didn't see me, did he? Or Olivia? Oh god, Nick." Belle said, taking another drink of water.

"They were, thankfully, both asleep." Nick said. Belle groaned and made a face at him.

"Did I throw up last night?" she asked.

"Oh, quite a bit. You and the toilet bowl formed a rather intimate relationship last night, I think you should at least buy it flowers." Nick teased.

"You're not funny." Belle said. "Fuck, I can taste it in my mouth. Disgusting." Nick's phone rang again and Belle groaned in pain once more. "Make it stop." she whined as Nick answered the phone.

"Yes Philip." Nick said, answering the phone once again.

"Hey – what about the car?" Philip asked.

"Um - just leave it at the hotel or – drive it to the party, we'll give you a ride back to the hotel, we'll take a cab there. I'm going with my father-in-law today and Belle – I don't think she'll be going anywhere." Nick said.

"Has she um – started to form coherent sentences yet?" Philip asked.

"A bit. She's sitting somewhat upright and drinking some water, so that's a start." Nick said.

"Please. Stop. Talking." Belle said.

"Oh, I heard that. I'll let you go – I'll see you tonight at the party then. Tell Belle I'll give her a bill for my services." Philip said, and Nick laughed a bit.

"Will do. See you tonight." Nick said, and he hung up the phone. He turned to look at Belle. "Any better?" he asked. Belle shot him a glare.

"Fuck you." she said.

"I think we should hold off on that until the hangover passes, won't be enjoyable for either of us." Nick joked. Belle started to cry. "Oh, I'm sorry love, I'm just teasing, come here. It's alright." Nick pulled her into a hug and gave her several gentle kisses on the forehead. "You'll be fine. Just rest now, okay? I won't say another word." Nick took the almost empty water bottle from her and set it aside and simply held her quietly in his arms. They laid there in silence for well over fifteen minutes, and just as Belle began to doze off a bit, Nick's phone rang once again. Jarred back awake, Belle bolted up and reached for the phone before Nick could get to it.

"I swear to god, if you make this bloody phone ring one more time I'm going to strangle you when I see you." Belle said as she answered it, not even looking at the caller ID.

"Marty, who do you think you're talking to?" Moe said on the other end of the phone. Belle gasped.

"Papa. I'm sorry, I thought you were – where are you?" Belle asked. Nick's eyes widened and he stifled back a laugh.

"I'm downstairs in the kitchen with your daughter, where do you think I am? I didn't want to come barging up there so I tried calling your phone but there was no answer so I called Nick's. Are you two going to lay about up there all day, it's past ten, and Olivia is bouncing off the walls waiting for you, and I need to get going so your husband better get a move on if he wants a ride with me." Moe said.

"Waiting for what?" Belle asked, trying to process a coherent thought through her pounding headache.

"You're taking her to the zoo today, it's all she went on about at dinner last night." Moe said. Belle leaned back against the headboard.

"Fuck." she whispered. "Sorry we – overslept a bit. We'll be down as quick as we can." Belle hung up the phone, then looked up at Nick. "I forgot I promised Olivia I'd take her to the zoo today. Oh shit, Nick." Belle whined, and Nick pulled her into a hug.

"It's alright, love. I'll take her, you just stay here and rest." Nick said.

"No – no you have a business meeting with one of my papa's friends today, I don't want you to miss out on that." Belle said.

"I can reschedule that." Nick said.

"No – this is my doing, I'll – deal with the aftermath." Belle said.

"Belle, how in the hell are you going to be able to look after an eight-year-old girl today? I'm not even sure you'll be able to stand up yet without my help." Nick said.

"Well, I'd better fucking try, I'm not letting my daughter down." Belle said. She pulled away from Nick and sat up. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand, then immediately dropped back down onto the bed. "The room is fucking spinning, Nick." Belle said as Nick moved to her side.

"You got up too fast. Here, drink some more water." Nick said, handing her the water bottle. "A nice warm shower will do you good, I'll help you."

"Right, I'll probably end up breaking my other arm." Belle commented.

"You know I've been very careful since our little mishap last year. Come on – Olivia is waiting." Nick said. He offered her his hand and pulled her up.

"Did I do anything embarrassing last night?" Belle asked as he walked her around the bed and into the bathroom.

"Do you count writhing on the barroom counter and loudly singing off-key as embarrassing?" Nick asked.

"Oh god, I did that?" Belle asked.

"Well, that was what you were doing when I walked into the pub, I'm not sure it was THE most embarrassing thing you did but I didn't see anything prior to that." Nick said.

"At least you didn't have to pick me up off the floor." Belle said.

"No, Philip did that." Nick said. Belle leaned into him and hugged him as they entered the bathroom together.

* * *

Belle and Nick made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Belle was wearing pink capris and a t-shirt; her hair was still damp and unstyled, as the hair dryer was far too noisy for her to tolerate. She followed behind Nick, who stopped to wait for her when he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"You alright?" Nick asked.

"Not particularly." Belle replied, and she put her arm around Nick as they walked toward the kitchen together.

"Mommy! Daddy! Grandpa and I made pancakes with blueberries!" Olivia shouted as she ran toward both of them. They stopped as Olivia hugged them. Belle gently touched the little girl's shoulder as she leaned into Nick, trying to bury her head in his shoulder. "You want some?"

"That sounds lovely sweetheart, thank you." Nick said as he led Belle into the kitchen.

"You want some too, mommy?" Olivia asked.

"Not today, love." Belle said as she pulled away from Nick and sat down at the table. Nick went to the refrigerator and got a bottled water out and handed it to Belle, then sat down next to her.

"Maybe some toast would be best." Nick said to Belle quietly, and she nodded in agreement. Nick put his arm around Belle, rubbing her shoulder a bit. Olivia brought a plate of pancakes to the table and set them in front of Nick.

"Thank you love, those look delicious." Nick said. "I think your mum would just like some toast."

Moe, who had been watching everything without saying a word, finally spoke up.

"Marty, blueberry pancakes are your favorite." Moe commented.

"I'm really not that hungry, papa." Belle said, her head down as she nursed her water bottle. "Maybe tomorrow."

"It's okay grandpa, I can make toast." Olivia said, and the little girl went to the bread box to get her mother's breakfast ready.

"So what did you and grandpa do yesterday?" Nick asked.

"We played cards. I won!" Olivia said excitedly.

"She's a crafty one. Probably gets that from you." Moe said, eyeing Nick.

"Wouldn't doubt that." Nick agreed.

"We watched _The Little Mermaid_ too. And we're watching _Frozen_ tonight, grandpa's never even seen that. I started teaching him the songs already. _Let it go, let it goooooooooo . . ._ " Olivia began to sing, loudly, and Belle groaned and buried her face in the palms of her hands.

"Yes, we know the song, Olivia, we don't need to hear it again." Nick interrupted, and Olivia stopped singing, pouting a bit.

"Here, mommy." Olivia said, and she brought Belle her toast and set it in front of her.

"Thank you, love." Belle said. She picked up a piece of bread and took a small bite, then looked up at Nick, clearly indicating that the last thing she wanted to do was eat any type of food, even a bland piece of toast. Nick put his arm around her again and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"They're always doing that." Olivia commented.

"Doing what?" Moe asked.

"Kissing and hugging and holding hands and stuff." Olivia replied.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that. I used to kiss and hug your grandmother all the time. And I rather liked holding hands with her. You should be glad they do that." Moe told her. Belle couldn't help but smile. Belle took another bite of her toast as Olivia eyed her up and down.

"Mommy, how come you're wearing two different socks?" Olivia asked.

"What?" Belle said.

"One is brown and one is blue. And your outfit is pink, that doesn't even match. You always match." Olivia said.

"Olivia – why don't you go upstairs and find mommy a pair of matching socks. And her walking shoes too, she's forgotten those as well. I think her purse is upstairs too – make sure her sunglasses are in them." Nick said.

"Okay, daddy." Olivia said, and she darted out of the room.

"Oh, god." Belle said, breathing a sigh of relief as she laid her head on Nick's shoulder.

"You're hungover." Moe said sternly. "Martha Rose – what did you do last night?"

"I don't know." Belle whined. "I mean I know some of it, but – the girls and I were just being silly and we had a few drinks and – things just got out of hand."

"Do you let your wife just go out and get drunk like this?" Moe asked Nick angrily.

"First of all, Moe, I don't 'let' Belle do anything because if I dared order her to do something I fear that she would bodily remove a part of my anatomy that I happen to be quite fond of. And second, I wasn't even there – the class I taught went late and when I got there your daughter was practically dancing on the tables."

"You said I was sitting on the bar counter." Belle said.

"It's possible you were on top of the table at some point. If I'd have gotten there ten minutes later you'd have definitely been under one." Nick commented.

"You can't be taking Olivia to the zoo like this, look at you. Your hair is damp, your eyes are bloodshot, and you can't even put on the right socks." Moe scolded.

"Papa, please don't shout at me." Belle begged, grabbing her forehead in pain and putting her head down. "We'll be fine, and I'm not driving, we're taking a taxi to the train station."

"Philip has our rental. He helped me get her home." Nick said.

"I'm not letting Olivia down, she's been looking forward to this. I'll just suffer and then go to bed when we get home." Belle said.

"You have that press corps dinner for the film festival this evening, Belle." Nick reminded her.

"Oh fuck." Belle said, putting her head down on the table.

"Marty! Language!" Moe shouted at her.

"I told you to stop yelling." Belle whined as she peeked up at him. Nick started rubbing her back.

"Don't worry sweetheart, you'll get through the day. You sure you'll be alright this afternoon?" Nick asked.

"No. But what am I supposed to do? I'm not ready yet for my daughter to have her first let-down from me. That's supposed to happen when she's a teenager, not now. We're going to the zoo." Belle said with determination just as Olivia came running into the room.

"Here's everything, mommy! Are you ready?" Olivia asked excitedly. Belle turned to Nick and sighed.

"Of course. Let me put on my shoes and we'll go." Belle said. She changed her socks and put her shoes on. "I just have to call a cab to take us to the train station, and we'll be on our way." Nick kissed her on the cheek.

"Call me if you need anything, alright?" Nick said.

"I'll be fine." Belle said quietly. "Come on." Belle said as she took Olivia's hand and led her out of the room.

"Bye daddy, bye grandpa!" Olivia shouted as they walked away.

"Your wife is a stubborn woman." Moe commented after they were gone.

" _You_ raised her. I didn't do that." Nick replied.

"Well she's your problem now, deal with it." Moe said. He paused for a moment, then spoke up again. "Her mother got completely shit-faced the night before Marty's first Christmas play at school."

"Really?" Nick asked.

"Marty was playing the part of a Christmas tree, she was so excited. Rose had an office party the day before, and I ended up having to carry her drunk self out of there. She was miserable the entire day and of course Marty was bouncing off the walls with excitement and – Rose simply grinned and bore it. I don't even think Marty knows about it, but – if you look at the pictures from that day – my wife does not look her best at all. Until her dying day Rose remembered that as one of the most horrid days of her life, but she never let it show. I don't think Marty ever figured it out – because my wife was a good mum. And so is Marty. Olivia will remember the day that she and her mum went to the zoo and had a wonderful time. Where do you think Marty got her acting talent from, it sure as hell wasn't me."

"I'm sure they'll have a lovely time." Nick said.

"Thank you – for being kind to her through all of this. We're all entitled to fuck up once in awhile." Moe said.

"Yes, we certainly are." Nick agreed.

"Feel free to give her a bit of hell tomorrow though." Moe said.

"Already planning on it." Nick told him.

* * *

That evening, Nick and Belle climbed into bed after the press dinner, which they excused themselves from as early as possible. Belle snuggled up to Nick and he wrapped his arms around her. "I haven't talked to you all night with all of your interviews and bullshit. You feeling better?"

"I'm exhausted. Feel like I could sleep for a week." Belle said.

"Well, you don't have anything tomorrow. I'll take care of Olivia and let you sleep in." Nick said.

"Thank you." Belle said. She paused for a moment, then spoke up again. "I fell asleep on the train." Nick didn't say a word. "Luckily Olivia was paying attention and woke me at our stop. I think I was out for almost half an hour Nick, I'm lucky no one called child services on me."

"Olivia probably thought nothing of it, she probably just thought you were tired." Nick said. "I left Ruby sitting at the counter at a diner in Manhattan when she was ten years old. I was on a business call and I – forgot her. It was an hour before I realized it. It didn't scar her for life and neither will this scar Olivia. So – how was the zoo?"

"Actually, after my little nap I felt much better. It was fine. Still had a bit of a headache, but – I managed." Belle said. "Thank you for um – not being too cruel about this whole thing this morning."

"Sweetheart, I've had more days like the one you just endured than I can remember. The last thing you needed was for me to behave like a jackass." Nick said.

"Why did you do that to yourself, Nick? I can't even imagine getting that drunk ever again." Belle said.

"I hated my life, Belle. I was married to a woman that I didn't even like, much less love, I had no fucking clue how to be a decent father to my children, I hated my job and I had no real friends. Who wouldn't drink under those circumstances?" Nick said.

"I'm sorry, Nick. I'm sorry you ever had to go through that." Belle said.

"It's no matter now. I have a job that I love, friends, family, beautiful children and grandchildren, and the most amazing wife that ever lived." Nick said. Belle sat up a bit and kissed him on the lips. "That's much better. It's much more pleasant to kiss you when your breath doesn't taste like vomit and alcohol." Belle laughed a bit.

"I, um – remember bits and pieces of you and Philip bringing me home. God, I was a mess." Belle said.

"That you were." Nick agreed. "By the way – I made some calls to the pub and the bartender assured me that no one took any photos or video last night."

"Thank you." Belle said. She and Nick snuggled up together even tighter. "Remember that first night together? When we fell asleep in each other's arms?"

"How could I forget it? It was the night that changed my life." Nick said.

"I didn't want to leave. I wanted to agree to forever right then and there. I never should have left." Belle said.

"Belle, we've been through this, you've long been forgiven for that." Nick told her.

"I'm not sure I've ever forgiven myself." Belle admitted.

"Well, you should. What's that ridiculous song that from that blasted film that Olivia is always singing? _Let it go. Let it gooooo ..."_ Nick began to sing, and Belle reached up and covered his mouth with her hand.

"Do NOT sing that song. Ever. Again." Belle said, and they both started to laugh, and then they kissed for several minutes. When they finally stopped they settled in one another's arms again. "Forever is going pretty well, isn't it?" Belle whispered.

"Indeed it is." Gold agreed. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight." Belle said, and she sighed happily.


End file.
